My Ragdoll Cat Adentures Blog Post 9

31st March 2022

Sometimes They Drive Me Crazy

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a Ragdoll owner is forgetting that they are cats not humans and sometimes they will just do what is in their nature. Don’t be deceived by those beautiful blue eyes and that gorgeous fluffy face looking at you so innocently. Ragdolls (just like children) can be naughty and stubborn. Unfortunately, I long ago made the mistake of allowing them to get away with a few behaviours that I should have addressed at the time, although I am not entirely sure it is possible to stop them completely. 

For example, the jumping on worktops and the dining room table. At first it was funny and cute but when I was trying to eat my dinner and Tom (who is more obsessed with human food than Jack) jumps up and then tries to have a nibble it is really annoying. I just really struggled to get them out of that habit although they are much better now. I have had a few awkward incidents with friends and family where I am desperately trying to stop the boys from sticking their head in their coffee or licking their chicken sandwiches. 

When they first met my dad (who I hadn’t seen for over a year because of Covid) they took to him really well and I was glad their first interactions were positive. At lunchtime though, I was so embarrassed as Tommy kept trying to jump up and eat my dad’s food! Surprisingly he remained really patient with him but I got really cross. Oh the shame. 

Over time though they actually got a lot more well behaved and the last time my dad was round for lunch, they didn’t jump on the table and they sat there in the lounge watching from a safe distance like fluffy guard dogs. They are very comfortable around my dad now which is nice as they can be a bit wary of strangers especially now they are older.

The other unfortunate incident that occured in their first year (from the jumping-on-the-work-top thing) was Jack managed to knock a big glass jar onto the floor which smashed into a million pieces! They were so shocked, bless them. I was so worried their paws would get cut by glass there was not a telling off.  I just made sure I swept up all the pieces and they were out of harm’s way.

 Tommy can be a little devil sometimes. He had this irritating, very destructive habit of scratching all the polyfiller from around my external doors. I have no idea why. I think just when he found if he picked at it it would come off and he found it fascinating. Thankfully he didn’t eat it. I bought this anti-scratch spray (that has a very strong citrus smell) and used it but it didn’t stop him for long. I ended up getting it up my nose and in my mouth when I used it it tasted disgusting!  I’m not sure if it is a good product to use but it may work for some cats. Over time, the behaviour did improve, especially after we began regular walks outside as that seemed to give them something else to focus on. New smells, textures, and sounds that opened up their world a bit more. I do wonder if some of these strange destructive behaviours appear due to boredom and as much as you think you have tired them out with some playtime, they still have pent up energy to release.

At least they are now too big to jump on the worktop anymore so I can eat my dinner in peace. They sill love to have a go at scratching and pawing at the doors and the cupboards though when they want attention, but I will just have to live with that I think.